Pickleball

When Pritchard and Bell returned from golf one Saturday afternoon in 1965, they found their families bored.[10] They had attempted to set up badminton, but no one could find the shuttlecock. Pritchard and Bell challenged their kids to devise their own game. The adults and kids ended up at the badminton court and began experimenting with different balls and rackets, including table tennis paddles. The 5-foot (1.5-metre) badminton net was eventually lowered to hip level to accommodate driving the ball.[11]

Initially, a Wiffle ball was thought to be the ideal ball, but later the Cosom Fun Ball was found to be more durable and provided a better playing experience.[12] The table tennis paddles were quickly replaced with larger, more durable plywood paddles fabricated in a nearby shed.[4][13][5] McCallum continued to experiment with various paddle designs in his father's Seattle basement workshop.[14] One paddle, he called the "M2", or McCallum 2, became the paddle of choice for most early players of the game.[15]

Soon after its creation, pickleball became popular with local neighbors and relatives of the inventors. In 1968 Pritchard, along with McCallum's son David and two other friends, formed Pickle Ball, Inc.[16] The company filed its first annual report in 1972,[17] around the same time they trademarked the name Pickle-ball.[18] The company manufactured wooden paddles and pickleball kits to satisfy the demand for the sport.[13] Interest in pickleball continued to grow, and spread from the Pacific Northwest into warmer areas as "snowbirds" brought the sport south to Arizona, California, Hawaii and Florida. In 2016 Pickle Ball, Inc. was purchased by PickleballCentral.com,[19] which operates under the corporate name Olla, LLC.

A 1976 tournament held at the Southcenter Athletic Club in Tukwila, Washington, is credited with being the first formal pickleball tournament. It was billed as "The World's First Pickleball Championship" by Joel Pritchard and received a mention in the July 1976 edition of Tennis magazine.[20] The United States Amateur Pickleball Association (U.S.A.P.A.) was formed in 1984, which is when they published the first official rulebook for the sport and held the first National Doubles Championships in Tacoma, Washington. By 1990 the sport was being played in all 50 states.[21] In 2001 pickleball was included as a demonstration sport in the Arizona Senior Olympics (ASO) with 100 participants. The pickleball tournament was held at the Happy Trails RV Resort in Surprise, Arizona, and within five years included 275 participants. The inclusion of pickleball in the ASO was seen as a significant contributor to the growth of tournaments in the United States.[22]

The U.S. Pickleball National Championships are held near Palm Springs, California, and co-hosted by Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle and owner of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where they have been played since 2018.[23] They had been previously played in Arizona, from 2009 to 2017. The tournament has the oversight of the U.S.A Pickleball Association; itself reincorporated with an updated rule book in 2005 after its foundation in 1984.[24][25] The U.S. Open Pickleball Championships are played in another hub of pickleball, Naples, Florida, and started in 2016.[26] Estimates for active players grew to 3.3 million in 2019 up 10% from 2016.[27] As of 2021, there were 58 member countries overseen by the International Federation of Pickleball.[28] As of 2022 there are over 8000 pickleball locations in the United States.[29]

State Senator John Lovick proposed a bill making pickleball the official sport of Washington state in 2021. Pickleball was then named the official state sport of Washington in 2022 by the state legislature. On March 28, 2022, the legislation was signed by Governor Jay Inslee on the original Pritchard family court where the sport was invented.[30][31]

The growth of professional and competitive pickleball has attracted high-profile investors such as NBA player LeBron James, retired NFL quarterback Drew Brees, and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. This increased visibility has helped raise the sport's popularity in recent years.[32] [33]

However, the rise of competitive play has also led to more injuries, according to recent analyses by the insurance industry which found treatment costs for pickleball injuries have increased as participation has grown.[34] Common pickleball injuries involve muscles, joints and tendons, especially in the shoulder, elbow and wrist (which proper technique, equipment, warm-up routines and injury prevention can help reduce). Advocates of the sport's growth say that pickleball is an activity that can provide exercise and social connections for players of all ages and skill levels.

The regulation size of the court is 20 feet (6.1 m) by 44 feet (13 m) for both doubles and singles, the same size as a doubles badminton court. A line seven feet from the net is the non-volley line. Twenty-two feet from the net, the baseline marks the outer boundary of the playing area. The area bounded by the non-volley line, the sidelines, and the net, including the lines, is known as the non-volley zone or "kitchen". The area between the non-volley line and the baseline is the service court. A center line divides the service court into left and right sides.[35] Regulated tournaments and games are usually played on a specialized polyurethane sport surface; however, courts are often set up on concrete, Astroturf, and indoor basketball courts.[36]

Outdoor pickleball courts at St. Charles High School

The net is 36 inches (0.91 m) high on the ends and 34 inches (0.86 m) high at the center. The net posts should be 22 feet (6.7 m) from the inside of one post to the inside of the other post.[37]

A Wiffle ball was the original ball used when the game was invented. USA Pickleball (USAP) and the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) have since adopted specific ball standards unique to pickleball. Balls must be made of a durable molded material with a smooth surface and must have between 26 and 40 evenly spaced circular holes. They must weigh between .78 and .935 ounces (22.1 and 26.5 g) and measure between 2.87 and 2.97 inches (73 and 75 mm) in diameter. Tournaments sanctioned by the USAP and IFP must choose from a list of preapproved balls found on the USAP and IFP websites.[38]

Balls with smaller holes are generally used for outdoor play to minimize the effects of wind, but any sanctioned ball can be used for either indoor or outdoor play.[25]

For sanctioned games, USAP and IFP paddle size standards say the combined length and width of the paddle shall not exceed 24 inches (0.61 m); the length cannot exceed 17 inches (0.43 m).[39] There are no requirements regarding thickness or weight. The paddle must be made of a non-compressible material and the surface of the paddle must be smooth. Paddles used in sanctioned tournaments must be on the list of preapproved paddles found on the USAP and IFP websites.[40]

The score is announced before each serve by an official or the server.

In doubles: the score has three parts; the serving team's score, the receiving team's score, and the server number, a "1" or "2" that indicates whether the server is the serving team's first or second server. The first server of the game is always considered the serving team's second server and may call the server number "start" or "2". The starting score in doubles is announced as "zero zero two (0 0 2)".[41][42][43]

In singles: The score has two parts; the serving player's score and the receiving player's score. The starting score in singles is always announced as "zero zero".

The first serve of the game comes from the right service court or the "even service" court.

A serve must land in the diagonal service court on the opponent's side of the net (see "service in" diagram). The serve receiver must allow the ball to bounce once before returning the ball to the server's side of the net. Once the receiver has returned the ball over the net, the serving side must also allow the ball to bounce once before returning the ball to the non-serving side. This is known as the two-bounce rule.[44]

After the first two returns, either side may volley the ball—that is, return it before it bounces. The ball can never bounce more than once before it is returned. No player may volley the ball while standing in the non-volley zone or touching any of the lines around the non-volley zone.

A pickleballer preparing to return the ball using a backhand stroke

A server continues to serve, alternating between the right and left service courts until their team commits a fault.

Doubles: At the beginning of a doubles game, the side serving first is only allowed one fault before their side is "out", called a side-out, and the serve passes to their opponent. After the first side-out of the game, each team is allowed two faults before a side-out is called, allowing each of the players on a doubles team to serve before the serve passes to the other team. A team's second server must continue alternating between the right and left service courts from wherever their partner left off. For example, if their partner's last serve was from the right service court, the second server must start serving on the left service court. After a side-out, the first serve is always initiated from the right serving area.

Singles: A side-out is called each time the serving side commits a fault. If the serving player's score is even (including zero), they must serve from the right, or even, service court; otherwise, they must serve from the left, or odd, service court. Depending on the current score, the first serve after a side-out can be from either the right or left service court.

The first side scoring 11 points, leading by at least two points, wins the game.[45] Tournament games may be played to 11, 15 or 21 points with players rotating sides at 6, 8 or 11 total points respectively.

Pickleball utilizes side-out scoring, meaning only the serving side may score a point. The serving team earns one point each time the non-serving team commits a fault. Neither team earns a point when the serving team commits a fault. Since the score is always called as the serving side's score followed by the receiving side's score, the two scores are reversed whenever a side-out occurs. For example, if a doubles team faults when the score is "five three two" (two indicating the second server), the other team becomes the new serving team, and the score is stated as "three five one".

When serving, the server must be behind the baseline on one side of the center line and serve the ball to the opponent's diagonal service court. Two types of serves are permitted, a volley serve or a drop serve.

• Volley serve: When the server's paddle strikes a ball without the ball contacting the ground, it must be served with an underarm stroke so that contact with the ball is made below the waist in an upward arc and the highest point on the paddle head must be below the wrist. In 2022 the USAPA announced a rule change, that as of 2023 imparting spin onto the ball during its release from the hand (known as the 'spin serve') will be banned.[46]
• Drop serve: When a ball is dropped to the ground and allowed to bounce before the server's paddle strikes it, the ball cannot be tossed or impelled by the server in any way. The ball can bounce more than once before being hit, and unlike the volley serve, there are no restrictions on how the player must hit the ball.[47]

Besides the server, there are no rules dictating where each player must stand when the serve is initiated, but serve receivers usually start behind the baseline until they know where the serve will bounce. The receiver's partner usually starts near the kitchen line. The server's partner usually stays behind the baseline with the server until they know where the first service return will bounce. Some doubles partners use a strategy called stacking to ensure each partner can quickly move to the most advantageous side of the court, based on each partner's skill set, after each serve and/or service return.[48]

Each player must remember their game starting position when serving and returning a serve. The wrong player serving, serving from the wrong side of the court, or returning a serve, are all faults.

Doubles: A team's score should always be an even number when their starting server is serving from the right service court, and an odd number when serving from the left service court. The reverse is true for a team's non-starting server.

Singles: In singles, a server's score will always be even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10...) when serving from the right service court and odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9...) when serving from the left service court.[37]^: A-15

No player may volley a ball while standing in the non-volley zone or touching any of the lines around the non-volley zone. A player may enter the non-volley zone to play a ball that has bounced and may stay there to play other balls that bounce,[37]^: A-22 but the player must re-establish both feet outside the non-volley zone before playing a volley. The non-volley zone is the highlighted area and numbered lines shown in the "Service out" diagram.

After the serve, a rally continues until one side commits a fault resulting in a dead ball.[49] In non-refereed matches, players are responsible for making line calls on their side of the net. If there is any doubt about whether the ball is out or in, the call should be made in favor of the opponent.[50]

Faults include:

• the wrong server serves the ball or serves from the wrong side of the court
• either of the server's feet touches the baseline, the court, or the area outside the imaginary extensions of the centerline or sideline
• not hitting the serve into the opponent's diagonal service court
• the wrong receiver returns the ball
• volleying the ball when returning a serve
• volleying the ball when returning the first service return
• not hitting the ball beyond the net
• not hitting the ball before it bounces twice on one side of the net
• hitting the ball so it lands out of bounds (outside the court lines)
• stepping into the non-volley zone, or touching the non-volley line, in the act of volleying the ball
• touching the net with any part of the body, clothing, paddle, or assistance device

The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) was formed by Ken Herrmann, who aligned his tour with USA Pickleball (USAP), the governing body of pickleball in the United States. All games are sanctioned by USAP and must abide by USAP rules.[51] The 2022 APP Tour includes 32 tournaments in five countries and has attracted an average of 800 players in each tournament. Total prize money is expected to be $2 million.[52]

The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) was formed by Connor Pardoe and based in Draper, Utah. Desiring independence to shape the tour to his liking, Pardoe did not align with USAP. Initially, the PPA required all players to sign a one–year exclusivity contract, preventing PPA players from participating in any non-PPA tours. In late 2021 Thomas Dundon purchased the PPA and extended the exclusivity contracts to 3 years. Pardoe remained CEO of the PPA Tour.[51] The 2022 PPA Tour is expected to include 20 tournaments with total prize money of $2.5 million.[53]

The Major League Pickleball (MLP) organization was formed in 2021 by Steve Kuhn in Dripping Springs, Texas.[51] In its first year, the League consisted of 8 teams and included both APP and PPA players. The second year expanded to 12 teams, but the PPA no longer allowed their players to participate in the League. Each team consists of two men and two women. Team members are chosen by a dual snake draft designed to make teams as competitive as possible.[54] Three separate competitions are scheduled for 2022, and the winning team at each competition will win $25,000 for each team member. The winning team is also awarded the Pritchard Cup. The league will expand to 16 teams in 2023, with NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, tennis player Naomi Osaka,[55] and NBA players LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love buying expansion teams.[56][57][58]

There are four published Guinness World Records for the sport of pickleball,[59] the most recent of which is the Longest pickleball rally, consisting of 16,046 consecutive shots, lasting 6 hours and 11 minutes set by Angelo and Ettore Rossetti on October 10, 2022.[60] The only previous documented Pickleball endurance record was in 2011 and 2012 by Justin Lawrence and Jeffrey Baker of New Port Richey, Florida. It was performed at the New Port Richey Recreation & Aquatic Center, in Pasco County, Florida. Both were employees of the rec center and wanted to find a way to grow the sport locally. Lawrence is a multi-sport athlete (football placekicker and soccer goalkeeper) who was focusing on endurance and OCR events at the time, with no real racquet sport experience. Baker is also a multi-sport athlete with some ping-pong and tennis experience. Both years the duo played for over 24-hours consecutively. Due to paperwork and processing errors, Guinness World Records did not recognize the record, so World Record Academy stepped in and verified the record along with Pasco County giving them an official resolution.[61][62][63]

The IFP was established in 2010 by the USA Pickleball Association to serve as the World Governing Body of pickleball. The IFP had 63 national members as of July 2022.[70] The IFP had 70 member nations at the end of March 2022, but a conflict in the organization resulted in 7 of 8 full member nations, and 2 associate member nations, withdrawing, including USA Pickleball.[71]

The annual Bainbridge Cup, named for the island where pickleball was invented, was established by the IFP in 2017. It became the sport's first intercontinental team event. The inaugural event was held in Madrid, Spain and pitted North America against Europe. The winning team earns the Bainbridge Cup trophy.[72] Both the 2020 and 2021 Bainbridge Cup team competitions were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WPF was established in 2018 and had 37 member nations as of November 2022. Part of the WPF's stated mission is to "govern the infrastructure of pickleball". The WPF declared October 10 of each year World Pickleball Day and set the goal of introducing 10,000 new players to the game of pickleball every October 10.[73]

The World Pickleball Games were first announced by the WPF in 2021 and are intended to serve as a format for possible future Olympic games.[74] The inaugural World Pickleball Games had been scheduled for May 2022 in Austin, Texas,[68] but due to on-going impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic the games were postponed until 2023.[75]

Para pickleball, sometimes called adaptive pickleball or wheelchair pickleball,[77] was officially recognized as a competitive branch of pickleball by USA Pickleball in 2016. Rules for those in wheelchairs are similar to the standard rules with minor modifications. A player's wheelchair is considered part of the player's body, and all rules that apply to the body also apply to the player's wheelchair. A pickleball player in a wheelchair is allowed two bounces instead of one. When a player in a wheelchair is serving the ball, they must be in a stationary position. They are then allowed one push before striking the ball for service. When the player strikes the ball, the wheels of the wheelchair must not touch any baseline, sideline, center line, or extended center or sideline. When a game involves both wheelchair and standing players, each player must abide by their respective rules. Standing players will adhere to the standing pickleball rules, and the wheelchair players will adhere to the wheelchair pickleball rules.[35]

APP Tour games are sanctioned by USA Pickleball and follow all rules established by USA Pickleball. The PPA Tour is not sanctioned and has chosen not to adopt some recent rule changes for professional and senior professional matches. Non-professional PPA Tour matches will continue to follow all rules in the USAP rulebook. The specific rules that the PPA deviates from for professional matches are: the drop serve, the paddle swipe or chainsaw serve, and let serves.[78]

The PPA has not instituted the drop serve and does not permit them in professional PPA matches. New USAP rules allow a player to touch the ball with only the hand releasing the ball, thereby making the chainsaw serve illegal in APP games. The PPA continues to permit the chainsaw serve in professional PPA matches. Let serves that hit the net but land in the correct service area are considered valid serves by USAP rules, but such serves must be replayed in PPA professional matches. If a second let serve occurs when the serve is replayed, it is a fault for PPA servers.[79]